Aaron Taylor-Johnson is coming back to the Marvel universe. Just not as Quicksilver, the first Marvel character he played.
According to The Wrap, Taylor-Johnson has been cast as the titular character in Sony Pictures’ Marvel movie “Kraven the Hunter.” The film is slated for release on Jan. 13, 2023. He is expected to portray Kraven in multiple projects.
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How Taylor-Johnson Landed the Lead Role
Deadline reports that Taylor-Johnson got the role of Kraven because of his work in the upcoming action movie “Bullet Train.” Sony was said to be so impressed by Taylor-Johnson’s work as Tangerine, one of the main assassins in the film, alongside Brad Pitt that the company quickly moved to get “Kraven” director J.C. Chandor in touch with him.
Furthermore, Deadline’s Justin Kroll said on Twitter that Taylor-Johnson beat out several high-profile names for the role, including Pitt and Keanu Reeves among others:
Sony had been aiming high from this role approaching everyone from Brad Pitt and Keanu to JDW and Driver to star but sources say recent footage of ATJ in the upcoming action pic Bullet Train, blew away Sony execs who moved fast to offer him the part. https://t.co/K1YlezOgab
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) May 26, 2021
“Kraven” will join “Spider-Man,” “Venom” and “Morbius” as Sony’s Marvel properties. The recent “Spider-Man” films starring Tom Holland, however, are a joint effort between Sony and Marvel Studios unlike “Venom” and “Morbius.”
Who is Kraven the Hunter?
Kraven the Hunter, a Russian by the name of Sergei Kravinoff, is a villain to Spider-Man. He was introduced in 1964 with his first appearance in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #15.
Marvel describes the character as “a maniacal big game hunter” who wants to prove his status as the world’s greatest hunter. While other hunters turn to weapons like the bow and arrow and even guns, Kraven’s weapon of choice is his bare hands.
He gained the powers of super strength and speed after taking mystical serums, but he possessed great strength beforehand, too.
Taylor-Johnson Has History with Marvel
Taylor-Johnson had a brief stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he portrayed Pietro Maximioff/Quicksilver in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
Quicksilver was introduced in tandem with his twin sister, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who goes on to become the Scarlet Witch. Pietro, however, is killed in the Battle of Sokovia when the Avengers try to defeat the artificially intelligent robot Ultron and his robot army. So Taylor-Johnson’s time as Quicksilver was short-lived.
*Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron*
*Aaron Taylor-Johnson is now playing Spider-Man villain KRAVEN THE HUNTER*
Me: pic.twitter.com/Ii9b6BPcTR
— BLURAYANGEL (@blurayangel) May 26, 2021
There was speculation as to whether Taylor-Johnson would reappear in the MCU during “WandaVision,” as fans expected an appearance from Wanda’s twin brother.
Quicksilver did show up in the Disney Plus series, but it wasn’t Taylor-Johnson in the role. Evan Peters, who has played Quicksilver in 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men” films, made cameos in the show. But it was ultimately revealed that Peters’ character was not actually Quicksilver but rather a Westview resident who had been under Agatha Harkness’ spell.
Taylor-Johnson is not the first actor to take on more than one role in the Marvel universe, though.
Gemma Chan will be in Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Eternals,” but she first appeared in the MCU as a Kree by the name of Minn-Erva in “Captain Marvel.” Kenneth Choi played Jim Morita, a Howling Commando, in “Captain America: The First Avenger” and was in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as Principal Morita — presumably a descendant of the aforementioned Morita. Enver Gjokaj portrayed Daniel Sousa in “Agent Carter” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” after playing a cop in “The Avengers.”
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